I’m Fine with Data Centers Being Built in Missouri on 1 Condition

It is said that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Well, that might be true, but this old dog is willing to embrace the change that data centers are bringing to our lives in Missouri, but with one very big condition. And if a politician can turn my condition into law, they will be very popular I predict.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources says there are roughly 50 data centers in the state right now and there are new ones being built frequently. I saw on the Missouri sub-Reddit today that there's a 2,000 acre data center being built in New Florence. This is the wave of the future as more people and businesses rely on artificial intelligence and I understand some good can come of this, but there is one massive problem that impacts everyone. Have you seen your utility bill recently?

Do data centers really cause energy bills to rise for Missouri residents?

Yes, they absolutely do and this isn't a conspiracy theory from me. Harvard Law School wrote a paper about data centers and their impact on the energy grid. The Environmental and Energy Studies Institute said that data centers in some locations are causing utility bills for nearby residents to rise as much as 267%.

Here's what all of us in Missouri should demand happen

Current data centers in Missouri and those built moving forward should be required to pay the difference their presence makes for residential customers. People rage at utility companies when their energy bills rise, but those companies have to pay more for the additional power being required to keep these data centers operating. The tech companies are building these data centers because they produce massive profits. How much money is involved? Well, a report says Google just invested $15 billion dollars in a Missouri data center. Yes, that's "billion" with a capital B.  A portion of those profits should be set aside to make sure the average Missouri resident doesn't get priced out of their home because they can't afford their utility bill anymore.

For the record, I am a certified computer technician in addition to being a media nerd. I'm not a stick in the mud that doesn't allow for change. I use technology every day and I rely on reliable data to help me do my job better. However, I am also a dad who's supporting his wife, children and pets. I watched my utility bill start to jump to unimaginable heights last summer and I expect this year will be another jolt. The data centers responsible for this need to pay their fair share before their tech sinks all of us. Someone in charge please make this happen before it's too late.